ESMAP News

Keeping Warm: Urban Heating Options for the Kyrgyz Republic

An ESMAP-supported World Bank heating assessment of the urban building sector in the Kyrgyz Republic analyzed the condition and performance of the country’s urban heating infrastructure and building stock, and evaluated in detail the available heating options in Bishkek and Tokmok.

With the right policies and investments, countries can integrate high levels of variable renewable energy such as solar and wind into their power grids without compromising the reliability or affordability of electricity, according to a new ESMAP report.

In this edition: Report shows mining companies can play a major role in helping upgrade Africa’s electricity infrastructure; Belarus looks at reforming its heating tariffs; new geothermal law in Indonesia; national workshop on electrification in Kenya; state-level consultations on power sector reform in India.

A new geothermal law is expected to remove obstacles to investment in geothermal development in Indonesia. The law follows a ministerial regulation on geothermal pricing and policy that was the result of many months of work between Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) and a joint World Bank – ADB team, supported by ESMAP and ASTAE.

Mining companies can play a key role in harnessing Africa’s abundant clean sources of energy to overcome the lack of electricity which affects at least one in three Africans, according to a new ESMAP-supported World Bank report.

Seeking global insights to help solve Kenya’s energy challenge, Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, together with the World Bank, organized a National Electrification Workshop in September 2014. The workshop was supported by ESMAP through the Africa Renewable Energy and Access program (AFREA).

In this edition: Major new clean cooking initiative; ESMAP facility helps countries reform energy subsidies while protecting the poor; Global Geothermal Development Plan mobilizes $235 million for geothermal expansion in developing countries; launch of a series of guidance notes for mayors on urban energy efficiency; new tool determines countries’ state of readiness for sustainable energy expansion.

Powering Up Myanmar: More Than 7 Million New Electricity Connections Needed

Myanmar has one of the lowest electrification rates in the world. Even with gains in recent years, only 33 percent of the population has an electricity connection. The World Bank Group and its partners are working closely with Myanmar’s government to develop and implement a National Electrification Plan. The goal: universal electricity access by 2030.

Myanmar is working to develop and implement a National Electrification Plan; gender and energy training helps create opportunities for local entrepreneurs in Africa; Indonesia moves towards universal access to clean cooking practices; and new open data solutions for efficient urban transport wins São Paulo the “MobiPrize.”

Gender and Energy Training Helping to Create Opportunities for Africa’s Local Entrepreneurs

In Tanzania, the World Bank worked with the Rural Energy Agency to conduct an internal assessment of organizational structure and policies, to help ensure that women were getting equal access to energy services and programs.